Fate Brought Us Together, And Now Tears Us Apart
by EvelynRose
Summary: “You need to leave Kate. Now!” the doctor said to her...He really was going to die...“There’s a good chance he won’t make it through the night”...“What are his chances?”...“15 percent or less”... “Now, it’s all up to God”...“I love him.” Set during SWAK
1. Love

**Fate Brought Us Together, And Now Will Tear Us Apart**

**Love**

"You need to leave Kate. Now!" the doctor said to her. She struggled to remain in the sterilized room, but the nurse wasn't going to let her stay either. Kate Todd watched helplessly as Tony coughed his life away. Pulling the mask from her face, she tried halfheartedly to suppress a sob. She couldn't stand to make herself believe that he was…"Dying," she whispered.

Just hours ago he had been fine. Arriving to work late, as usual, greeting her cheerfully, even throwing a few sarcastic comments back and forth. Just being the egotistical son of a bitch he was. But now, as she watched the blood pour from her coworkers mouth, staining the white sheets surrounding him, none of that mattered anymore. It mattered not, that just a few days ago; she had wanted to stab him for one of his sexist comments.

"He's dying Ducky," Kate sobbed, welcoming the comfort of the elderly doctor. "I love him," she whispered, barely audible, but Ducky heard her nonetheless.

"I know Caitlin, I know," Donald told her, patting her back as she cried into his shoulder.

Kate's head shot up as she heard the doors to the isolation ward burst open. A haggard group of NCIS Agents trailed behind a somber looking Gibbs. Just by the look on his face, she knew. There was no antidote for the genetically altered plague. Kate felt her world crumble around her. He really was going to…die.

Gibbs pulled Ducky off to the side, and with out saying a word, the two made their way towards the blue lit plexiglas room.

Abby took one look at Kate's tear streaked face, and broke down in tears. The two women clung to each other, crying for their friend, and fellow agent, who lay dying, in a pool of his own blood.

Gibbs came back over, and said that he needed to talk to her, outside. She wiped her eyes on her shirt sleeve, and followed her boss out in to the empty hallway.

"Kate," Gibbs started, "Ducky told me all that's been happening, and I've spoken to his doctors……" he paused, almost as if he was to afraid to finish, because saying it would make it true, and he didn't want to hurt her anymore than she was already hurting.

"What Gibbs? What did the doctor say? Please, tell me?" Kate pleaded, seeing that he was having a hard time telling her something.

"T-There's a good chance he won't make it through the night. But--"

Kate's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh God, no! He can't die, he can't!" she interrupted, cutting him off before he could finish.

"Kate, it's going to be ok. It is," he tried, but comforting people was not his forte.

"No Gibbs!" she snapped. "No it's not. It's not going to be ok. I love him. I _love_ him, and now he's never going to know that. He's never gonna know…"

Gibbs just stared, wide-eyed, at her, his mind processing all the ramifications of her heartfelt confession.

"Kate," he said softly, hoping she wouldn't explode again. "Kate, there _is_ still a small chance that he'll live."

"What?" she asked. Did she dare hope that, the man she just now realized she was in love with, may live to see another day?

"They're going to start him on mass blood transfusions, and administer a blood replenishing IV, to keep enough blood in his system. The plague virus had a suicide gene in it. 32 hours after infection, the bug is dead. It's been dead for over an hour. So at least he's not contagious anymore," Gibbs paused, letting her take in all the information she'd been given. Deep down, Gibbs really did care; sometimes he just had a hard time showing it. He thought it high time his two best agents figured it out, and he'd be damned if he was going to let some crackpot former hippie ruin their well deserved happiness.

"They also want to try and drain the fluid from his lungs, like they do for neumonia patients. But, it's a very risky procedure, given his current state," he finished, waiting for her to say something.

"What are his chances?" Kate asked, dreading the answer.

"15 percent or less. Now, it's all up to God," Gibbs replied, a look of terrible sadness crossing his face.

* * *

Now You Decide Their Fate

* * *

**  
A/N  
**So? How'd I do? This is my first NCIS fic. Sorry if Gibbs and Kate seem a little OOC. I tried to steer clear of the whole sappy deathbed 'omigosh-you're-dying-let-me-confess-all-my-fleeings' kind of story. I wanted to portray a side of Kate she rarely lets show through, and that we only see a glimpse of in SWAK. I also wanted to show the part of Gibbs that really does care.  
_  
I don't own NCIS, or anything associated with it. I don't claim to be a doctor either, so sorry if some of the 'medical' stuff is incorrect_, I just wrote what sounded like it belonged! lol! I hope you all like it! Sorry if it seems overdone, I wrote this on the last day of school, when we did absolutely nothing in any of my classes. I might continue with it, but don't know if I CAN, because the only logical thing to write next IS a sappy deathbed conversation between Kate and Tony.

Hey, did you notice that I only used his name one in the whole fic? Everywhere else, Tony's just referred to as 'he' 'his' or 'him.' I thought that was kinda funny! PLEASE review, all comments are welcome, flame if you want to, I don't really care. I'm just posting cause I haven't posted anything in a long time, and I'm having withdrawalment issues. I hope everyone liked it! Tell me if I should continue!

_EvelynRose_


	2. Epilogue: Dies

**Fate Brought Us Together, And Now Will Tear Us Apart**

**Epilogue: Dies**

Kate felt her heart break in two as she threw the daisy onto the freshly dug grave. She couldn't believe it. She really couldn't. Up until now, she had maintained that she was just living in a really bad nightmare, but not anymore. The pain she now felt proved that it could be nothing _but_ real.

He had been so sick, but she'd still held onto that shimmer of hope that he'd pull through, that he'd get better. But it was not to be. Damnit! Why did all the men in her life have to leave? The moment she'd finally found someone to love, someone who would love her in return, it was snatched away ruthlessly. Her life seemed to be just one cruel joke after another.

_In his last moments he had been surrounded by his friends, those he cared about and who cared about him. Abby had been cheerfully optimistic, telling jokes and reminiscing about times past, and the things that would not come to pass._

_Gibbs held back from the rest of the group. He didn't seem able to handle the emotion of the evening, the loss of someone he considered a friend. It wasn't in his nature to give up hope, but what else was there to do when the end was irrevocably in sight? _

_After an hour Ducky, ever the grandfatherly presence on the team, had carefully suggested that they give her a moment alone with him. She was eternally grateful to Ducky for giving them that, a last and only moment together._

_His breathing was becoming increasingly erratic and he was struggling to keep his eyes from falling shut._

"_Kate…I need to tell…" he whispered. She had to lean closely to catch his words._

"_Shhh…It's ok, you don't have to say anything," she held back a sob as she looked at his ashen features. She knew there was little time left. "I want you to know, I love you Tony." A flicker of a smile graced his face at that. "The feelings have been there for awhile, but I didn't realize…until…and now it's too late…" this time she couldn't quiet the sob that came forth._

"_I love you…too, have for a…while now," the words came out fragmented and soft, but the meaning was not lost. Tony laughed silently at the irony of the situation. This was what it had taken for them to admit that they liked each other, to concede that the playful banter was just a guise for all the built up sexual tension. His _death_. Life really wasn't fair. "Don't dwell…I know you Katie, so…don't dwell. Promise?"_

"_Of course, anything."_

Kate shook the thoughts from her mind, she had promised him that she wouldn't get lost in that moment and she intended to keep her word. It would be hard, moving on, but she was lucky. She had people around her who cared and who would help her at any cost. The first step was to remember fondly, not sadly. With that thought at the forefront of her mind Kate Todd turned and walked evenly from the gravesite, leaving behind a ghost of the past, and walking towards the future he wanted for her.


End file.
